Cervical Spine Related Hearing Loss and Neck Pain Relief with Chiropractic
The traditional account of the first chiropractic adjustment by DD Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, details the hearing restoration of a deaf janitor after spinal manipulation. (1) Fascinating! Today’s research reports help describe and corroborate the connection of hearing and cervical spine pain issues. Aurora Chiropractic Center hears stories of improvement in Juneau chiropractic patients for issues not always related to the issue that brought them into Aurora Chiropractic Center for chiropractic care. Patients are elated! Aurora Chiropractic Center is excited for them. Let us contemplate this side-effect of hearing loss improvement after chiropractic spinal manipulation.
THE HEARING AND CERVICAL SPINE CONNECTION
Hearing loss is not that uncommon with cervical spine problems. The association of cervical spine and hearing has been presented in the medical literature for years and years. In 1994, one author submitted an idea of the existence of a “vertebragenic hearing disorder” that comes with tinnitus, a feeling of ear pressure, otalgia and deafness due to functional deficit of the upper cervical spine. He tied conditions like cervical vertigo and hearing disorders in 15% of patients with cervical spine issues and hearing losses of 5 to 25 decibels in 40% of them. (2) Juneau chiropractic patients recount such problems on occasion, so Aurora Chiropractic Center is not shocked at all.
Cervical spine issues can affect ear vessels and/or nerves resulting in hearing loss, vertigo or tinnitus. Cervical spine injuries can trigger pain and limits in range of motion. The chance of hearing loss in patients with limited left rotation ability is high. Such hearing loss after a cervical spine injury is more common in men. (3) Further, there is indication of interaction between the somatosensory and auditory brainstem structures, a pathway joining the cervical spine to hearing function. Researchers are seeking ways to define the pathway and understand better how spinal nerves like those of C2 (the second cervical spine segment) influence auditory responses (hearing). They have discovered projections from C2 dorsal root ganglion extending to the cochlear nucleus. (4) Patients who have Kimmerle’s anomaly – an anatomical variant of the first cervical segment (C1) – often experience chronic tension-type headaches and neurosensory-type hearing loss. (5) What does this indicate about the connection between hearing and the cervical spine? A connection. Aurora Chiropractic Center considers this when making a treatment plan for Juneau cervical spine pain patients who have a hearing loss or deficit.
CHIROPRACTIC HELP FOR Juneau HEARING LOSS RELATED TO CERVICAL SPINE ISSUES
Since that first chiropractic adjustment in 1895, chiropractic has documented improvement for more patients with hearing issues. A study of 90 patients who experienced cervicogenic sudden hearing loss recorded that those who underwent chiropractic treatment in addition to routine medical care bettered their hearing and eased their neck pain effectively after 10 days of care. (6) A case of hearing loss and tinnitus linked to cervicogenic neck pain in a female patient whose hearing and tinnitus were improved after undergoing chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment. On a scale of 0 (no problem) to 10 (complete impairment), she graded her issues a 7 at the beginning of care and a 1 at the end of 5 months of care. An audiogram was normal, too. (7) These are gratifying outcomes that Juneau hearing loss patients could accept! Aurora Chiropractic Center is prepared for the chance to help!
CONSIDER Aurora Chiropractic Center FOR RELIEF
Listen to this PODCAST about how Cox Technic relieves cervical spine related neck pain and shoulder pain.
Schedule a Juneau chiropractic appointment to see how Aurora Chiropractic Center may help ease cervical spine problems, neck pain and even potentially cervical spine related hearing loss.
